Louisiana is experiencing another very cold day, and it looks to stay this way and get even chillier into the New Year. Michelle Southern reports…:
Cut 1 (30) “I’m Michelle Southern”
______________________________________
The US Department of Agriculture will test a new product to combat the nationwide swine infestation. Matt Doyle has more.
________________________________________________________
The US Department of Agriculture will test a new method in 2018 for controlling the rampant feral hog population. Texas and Alabama were chosen for a pilot program involving a new poison bait that officials hope will target the swine, without damaging local ecosystems. Louisiana Ag Commissioner Mike Strain says the Sodium Nitrite targets red blood cells to incapacitate the pigs…
Sodium Nitrite is typically used as a meat preserver, and its salty flavor usually keeps wild animals uninterested. Strain says part of the testing will be finding out how to get the pigs to actually eat it…
Strain says the test won’t be cheap…
Testing is set to begin early 2018.
________________________________________________________
Louisiana is one of eight states that saw a population drop. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, between July 2016 and July 2017, the state’s population decreased by fewer than 2,000. About 27,000 relocated to other states. Demographer Greg Rigamer says a lot of the decrease has to do with the current job market…
Rigamer says the state’s budget crisis has not helped encourage job growth in Louisiana. And with a projected one-billion-dollar shortfall, there doesn’t seem to be a quick fix coming…
Rigamer says the hospitality industry is huge in the Bayou State. But if Louisiana wants to see the population increase again, wages need to go up for those working hard to welcome travelers…
_________________________________________________________
Louisiana is experiencing another very cold day, and it looks to stay this way and get even chillier into the New Year. State Climatologist Barry Keim says the polar vortex has arrived with a vengeance and it’s going to affect us for at least the next week and perhaps even longer…:
Keim says another cold front is expected to sweep across the state Sunday, bringing in even cooler air….:
________________________________________________________
Health officials thought we’d be seeing fewer flu cases by now, but it’s actually gotten worse in Louisiana. Dr. Frank Welch with the state department of health says we’re seeing almost double the number of cases as our neighboring states…:
Louisiana is leading the nation in the number of flu cases this year. The drug used to treat the flu, Tamiflu, is flying off local pharmacy shelves. Welch says Tamiflu only shortens the illness by about a day, but it can help prevent complications. He says it’s best when taken soon after the flu starts
Welch says always wash your hands frequently with soap and water, carry around hand sanitizer and if you have to sneeze, do it into your elbow. He says the spread will likely get worse before it gets better, and it’s not to late to get that flu shot…:
_________________________________________________________
State Police are investigating a shooting early this morning in Monroe involving a Ouachita Parish Sheriff’s deputy. Trooper Michael Reichardt says the incident started after a deputy stopped to assist a stalled vehicle…
The yet unidentified suspect was taken to an area hospital with non-life threatening injuries. Reichardt says charges are expected to be filed as the investigation continues…
Reichardt says more information on the suspect and the deputy involved is expected tomorrow. Reichardt declined to give the condition of the deputy or who fired the initial shots.
____________________________________________________